A University of Alberta team has developed a device to provide a more reliable, aseptic and economical treatment for frostbite, to be used in emergency rooms, shelters and even outdoors.
"Frostbite disproportionately affects opioid users, unhoused persons, people with mental illness and socially isolated people," says Matthew Douma, RN, adjunct professor of critical care medicine in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry and co-principal investigator of a project looking into frostbite cases in Alberta. "This is a condition that has been inadequately treated due to neglect and marginalization."
The device, known as a Precision Warm Water Circulator, is inspired by the sous vide cooking method, because it provides continuously circulating water at a precise temperature, in the case of the device between 37 C and 42 C. The device is portable, operated from a cart and can be supplied with a battery pack. The water basin is 20 centimetres deep.
